Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) has been one of the hottest healthcare stocks of 2024. Shares of the company have risen by 285% thus far, and that's even factoring in a recent pullback in price. Investors have become excited about the company's long-term prospects, as it has a promising weight-loss drug in its portfolio. And in a time when weight-loss drugs are all the rage in healthcare, investors are more than just a little optimistic about how much higher the stock can go.

Given all this attention on Viking and the company having a significant asset in its portfolio, it's worth considering whether an acquisition may be looming. A larger pharma company, for instance, may see significant value in Viking; an acquisition may make more sense than spending time and money on developing its own weight-loss drug in-house.

Is Viking Therapeutics a stock that's likely to get bought out in the near future, and if that happens, what does that mean for investors?

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Source Fool.com